Page 85 of All I Desire

“And, uh, sis?” He scratches his head.

“Yeah?”

“I also saw Matthew that day. And his daughter. I didn’t know who they were at the time, obviously. But I recognized him one day at the resort, or I thought I did. And then I was sure it was him I’d seen when we met at the brunch at Mermosa.”

I gape at my brother. “So, you knew all this time that he had some connection to Chad?”

Remy shrugs. “I didn’t know what the connection was, though, that’s the thing. Leilani said that maybe it was a business deal, or that he was just an acquaintance. And we both thought you looked so happy with Matthew…aw, hell, sis.”

I press my hand to my chest, which is tightening with emotion. How angry should I be with Remy? Even if he’d told me, would I have believed him? Does it even matter now?

“I wish you’d said something. Is that why you were so nasty that day at the party?”

“Yeah. I saw you happy, but I had some misguided sense of wanting to warn you away without telling you why. Christ, I dunno. I was super shitty to you that day at the party when I said you were his manic pixie dream girl.” He grabs another handful of candy and shoves it in his mouth. “Ma and Dad told me how decent he was to you during dinner. And he seemed like an okay guy. Dad liked him a lot. I just didn’t like how he blurted out about Kate’s pregnancy, though that was your fault, not his.”

My shoulders slump. Kate has since forgiven me for that particular gaffe, but that’s because she’s a saint. The least I can do is to forgive Remy, I suppose.

I scrub my eyes with my hands. Can’t I just be alone to process this news? “Well, thanks for telling me, I guess.”

“Have you talked with him since that party? I heard he beat the shit out of Chad.”

I smirk. It gives me no small amount of pleasure to know that that’s the rumor going around the island. Maybe that makes me a terrible person, but so be it. “I don’t know. I wasn’t there when it happened. And no, I haven’t really talked with him since that night. Just texted.”

“What are you going to do? You two seemed well-matched.”

“I can’t believe I’m having a heart-to-heart conversation about my love life with you.”

Remy stretches. “Ask Damien. I give great relationship advice.”

I roll my eyes. “Okay, Dr. Hastings, what do you think I should do? Be with Matthew and risk seeing Chad every so often? And what about his kid? What if you were right, that I’m not cut out to be a stepmom?”

Remy picks some candy from his teeth with his finger. I pantomime a gag. “You don’t do that in front of Leilani, do you? Please tell me no. You are so gross.”

“Of course not. She only sees the hot side of me. Let’s see. What should you do?” He pauses and stares at me with his whiskey colored eyes. Then he grins, that cocky Hastings smile. “I think you should take a risk and be with him. You haven’t had a real relationship in, well, ever.”

“Thanks. Way to make me seem like a functional member of society.”

His grin fades. “Seriously, sis. I feel like you got used to feeling shitty cause of Chad. It hardened you. You deserve good things, too. You can get used to happiness just as easily as anger and pain.”

My jaw drops. “Whoa. You’re like a philosopher-fisherman.”

The grin’s back. He stands up. “But you know I’m right. I gotta run. And as far as his kid? I think you’ll figure that out. The two of you seemed like you get along. You can be like her big sister. You’re pretty damn good at that.”

Tears well in my eyes. I stand up and come around my desk. “Give your inept big sister a hug. You’re smarter than you look, you know that?”

He folds me into his body. “I had a talk with Damien about what to say to you, so I can’t take all the credit.”

“Figures.” I pinch his side and he yelps.

For some reason, when he leaves, I smile for the first time in days. I turn to my phone and tap on Matthew’s number.

Hey, you.

His response comes almost immediately. Hey, babe.

What are you doing tonight?

Bringing Chloe to soccer. She made the team!

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